Tomatoes which have been genetically modified to turn purple could be available soon for humans to consume.
Their dark colour is said to give them the same potential health benefits as fruits, such as cranberries and blueberries. The pigment is an antioxidant and studies on mice have indicated it could help slow cancer.
A gene from snapdragons has been used to obtain the purple pigment. The modification process within the tomato plant allows the antioxidant anthocyanin to develop.
The tomato was first developed at the John Innes Centre in Norwich but has had to be grown in Canada to get around EU restrictions on GM plants.
New Energy Farms in Ontario are growing enough purple tomatoes to make 2,000 litres of juice. Already more than half of that is ready for shipping to the UK. The developer, Prof Cathie Martin, hopes that juice will allow scientists to test if the antioxidant has a positive or negative effect on human beings.
This is the part of a new generation of GM crops designed to appeal to consumers. Earlier types were targeted specifically at farmers.
Prof Martin found it “frustrating” to have to go to Canada for the growing and processing. “I hope this will serve as a vanguard product where people can have access to something that is GM but has benefits for them."
A major 2010 survey across EU countries found opponents outnumbered supporters by about three to one.
Another series of opinion polls and focus groups run by Cardiff University also show public distrust of GM. Professor Nick Pidgeon, an environmental psychologist there, says a lasting legacy of distrust exists, dating at least to the time of mad cow disease, and changing that will take quite a long time along with demonstrating safety and good regulation.
"People will still be concerned that this is a technology that potentially interferes with natural systems - they'll be concerned about big corporations having control over the technology and, at the end of the day, you feed it to yourself and your children and that will be a particular concern for families across the UK," he said.
Prof Martin hopes that the purple tomato juice could be approved for sale to consumers in North America in as little as two years' time.
If approved, the new tomatoes could be added to a large range of tomato-based products, such as ketchup, sauces, and pizza toppings.
Separately, the Rothamsted Research operation in Hertfordshire announced at the end of last week that they are seeking permission for field trials of a GM plant which could produce a “fish oil”. It is also working on a type of GM wheat which would release a pheromone that deters aphids.
